The Next Gen ATP Finals is up and running at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We have already seen some exciting contests on Day 1 and now it’s time for us to shift our focus to Day 2. On the second day, we’d see America’s Alex Michelsen taking on France’s Luca Van Assche and interestingly both these players have got off to a winning start on their return to this mega event. Michelsen debuted in Jeddah last year but lost all three of his round-robin matches. On the other hand, the Frenchman reached the semis last year. Now it’ll be interesting to see who in between these two advances further.

Alex Michelsen vs Luca Van Assche: Preview

Alex Michelsen has been taking some long strides over the last few months. He has made quite a few long runs in his previous tournaments this year. Michelsen reached the final of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, but over there he was defeated by his compatriot Marcos Giron in a three-set thriller. After that, he also made it to the finals in Winston-Salem, but even there he was defeated by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego by 6-0,6-3. Alex Michelsen will be entering this contest after his hard-fought victory against Nishesh Basavareddy (USA). He defeated Basavareddy 2-4,4-3(5),4-3(4),4-2.

His opponent on Day 2, Luca Van Assche has also been quite impressive this season. The 20-year-old Frenchman reached the SF of three challenger events this year. The first one was the Challenger Phoenix, US where he was defeated by Portugal’s Nuno Borges, the second one came at the Challenger Heilbronn, DE and the third SF appearance was at the Challenger Roanne, FR. However, despite failing to make it count in big matches, he has played a good brand of tennis throughout the season. Even in the last match, he looked quite impressive against China’s Shang Juncheng. He defeated the Chinese by 4-3(3),2-4,4-1,4-3(5).

Michelsen vs Van Assche: Head-to-Head

America’s Alex Michelsen has faced this Frenchman only once in his career. Their first meeting was at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals. Luca Van Assche won that contest, but it was a tough one.

• 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals Round Robin: Van Assche: 4-3(0),3(4)-4,3(4)-4,4-1,4-3(6).

Prediction: Michelsen to win this match in four sets

Alex Michelsen started the season being placed just inside the Top 100 in the men’s singles ranking. From there, he has now made it to the Top 50. Michelsen is currently ranked 41 in the world! He has a win-loss record of 32-29 this season, whereas, his opponent, Luca Van Assche (128) has only managed to put up a record of 9-17 on the main Tour. So, considering their form in the last few months, we feel Alex Michelsen will have the upper hand in this contest. Having said, that we must not forget Van Assche made a longer run here in the previous edition. So, there are high chances of this match going a little deeper than expected!

Now, talking about their playing styles, Luca Van Assche is a right-handed player who loves using his two-handed backhand that provides both power and control, His aggressive baseline game allows him to put pressure on his opponents and dictate the rallies. Other than that, his incredible speed and agility make him a real threat on the court. His performance suggests that he has the adaptability to handle different surfaces, whether it’s clay, grass, or hard courts, but the question is, can he handle this super-talented American?

Alex Michelsen can be a very tricky opponent to face. The 20-year-old from California has a strong two-handed backhand along with an equally powerful forehand. He loves coming to the net and finishing off the points. Alex Michelsen is also a good server, especially on the first serve. Apart from that, he also has an incredible presence of mind which often gives him the edge in challenging situations during the matches. So, considering all these factors, we feel Michelsen will seal a hard-fought victory on Day 2 against the Frenchman! Who are you cheering for?